Reel-holding stand

ABSTRACT

The stand of the invention is intended to provide rotatable support for heavy reels such as reels of electric wire or telephone cable. The stand comprises a base having a peripheral tire member which serves as the ground-engaging member. A central socket member is removably secured to the base, and this socket member rotatably and detachably receives a spindle forming an integral part of a reel-supporting platform. A reel of wire or cable is adapted to be positioned flatwise on the platform, and the wire or cable can be freely unwound therefrom. The rotatable platform has an upwardly extending post for holding a reel on the platform. The base and inflated peripheral member may comprise a conventional wheel and tire.

llnited States Patent Buckman Hoag ABSTRACT: The stand of the inventionis intended to provide rotatable support for heavy reels such as reelsof electric wire or. telephone cable. The stand comprises a base havinga peripheral tire member which serves as the ground-engaging member. Acentral socket member is removably secured to the base, and this socketmember rotatably and detachably receives a spindle forming an integralpart ofa reel-supporting platform. A reel of wire or cable is adapted tobe positioned flatwise on the platform, and the wire or cable can befreely unwound therefrom. The rotatable platform has an upwardlyextending post for holding a reel on the platform. The base and inflatedperipheral member may comprise a conventional wheel and tire.

PATENTEDBEE 7197! 3.625449 FIG. I

PERRY E. LANDSEM NTOR.

ATTY.

REEL-HOLDING STAND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Reels for holdingelectric wire, telephone cable or other line are extremely heavy andusually require special equipment for supporting them rotatably so thatthe line can be unwound therefrom. That is, in connection with unwindingthe line from the reels, special stands are necessary to raise the reeloff the ground or truck bed in order to permit rotation thereof. Suchstands are expensive and cumbersome and are difficult to manipulate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention and forminga primary objective thereof a reel-holding stand is provided which issimple in construction and yet provides an efficient rotatable supportfor a reel such that a line can be unwound therefrom.

Another object is to provide a reel-holding stand of the type describedhaving a novel structure employing a base portion on which a rotatableplatforr'n is supported and having a peripheral tire member whichsupports the base portion off the ground as well as providing cushionedsupport for the base and frictional contact with the ground.

Still another object is to provide a reel-holding stand of the typedescribed having a novel base portion which may include a conventionalvehicle wheel and tire as a part thereof.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects andadvantages will become apparent from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferredform of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view of thepresent reel-holding stand showing a reel supported thereon and cablebeing unwound from such reel; and

FIG. 2 is also an elevational view but is enlarged relative to FIG. 1and is partly broken away for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring in particularto the drawings, the numeral designates a conventional reel for holdingelectric wire, telephone cable, or other line. Such reels arespool-shaped and have end walls 12 and an axial opening 14. Wire woundon such spool is designated by the numeral 16.

The invention resides in a stand providing free rotatable support forthe reel 10 so that wire or cable thereon can be unwound conveniently.Such holder comprises a horizontal base portion 18 provided with a rim20 on which is mounted a tire member 22. As is apparent, the lowerportion of the stand may comprise a conventional vehicle wheel whereinthe base portions 18 and 20 are the wheel and rim, respectively, and theperipheral member is the tire. The base portion 18 has a centralcircular opening 24 and if the lower portion of the stand comprises aconventional wheel, the opening 24 comprises the hub-receiving opening.

An elongated cylindrical socket or adapter member 26 having a centralbore 27 is titted in the opening 24 and has a circular outer flange 28intermediate its ends adapted to seat on the base poru'on l8. Flange 28has threaded holes 30 adapted to receive attaching screws 32 projectingupwardly through holes 34 in the base 18. The holes 34 in the wheelplate 18 may comprise the lug screw receiving holes if the device uses aconventional wheel as the lower stand portion, and the at taching screwsmay comprise the existing wheel-attaching lug screws, in which case theholes 30 in the flange 28 would necessarily be located for alignmentwith the holes 34 and have suitable size and threading to receive thelug screws. The socket member 26 has a flat upper surface 35.

A reel supporting platform 36 is rotatably supported on the socketmember 26, and such platform has a base portion 38 with a flat bottomsurface 40 in bearing engagement with the flat upper surface 35 of thesocket member 26. Base portion 38 of the reel-supporting platform has anintegral depending spindle 42 rotatably engaged in the central bore 27of the socket member 26.

Platform 36 has a dish-shaped plate 44 which leads integrally from thebase portion 38, the concaved side of the plate 44 being disposedupwardly and the uppermost edge thereof projecting above the top surfaceof the tire 22 whereby a reel 10 is adapted to rotate freely above thetire. A central post 46 extends integrally upwardly from the baseportion 38 of the platform and is arranged to be received in the centralbore 14 of a reel 10 to hold the latter centered on the present device.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a simplifiedand inexpensive yet very functional stand for holding large reels oflines such as wire or cable for rotation. The reel-holding stand iseasily handled in that it can be rolled to its location if necessary.The platform 36 is detachable therefrom by lifting it off the baseportion.

As stated above, the socket member 26 is adapted to project through theusual central opening in a wheel and the bores 30 in the flange 28 areselectively located so that attachment of the present holder to a wheelis accomplished by the conventional lug screws 32. The present inventionthus facilitates formation of the base portion of the stand from avehicle wheel such as from an old discarded truck wheel, thuscontributing to its economy of manufacture. The tire 22 also maycomprise a discarded tire, it being preferred, although not necessary,that it be capable of holding air. As in the usual wheel assembly, thetire 22 has a greater thickness than the rim whereby the tire is inengagement with the supporting surface to provide a frictional grip withthe latter as well as cushioned support. For the purpose of placing areel on the present stand for unwinding from a position wherein it ispositioned on its edge, the stand is tipped up and its post 46 insertedin the central bore 14 of the reel. Then the assembly is flopped overwith the stand on the bottom.

It is to be understood that the fonn of my invention herein shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

I. In combination, a spare vehicle wheel having a body portion and a rimon said body portion, a tire on said rim, said body portion having aplurality of apertures which normally receive lug bolts of the wheel, anadapter member having upper and lower ends and also having a centralbore, said adapter member having apertures located selectively foralignment with the apertures in said body portion, bolt means engageablein the apertures of said body portion and said adapter member to securesaid adapter member to said body portion, a dish-shaped platform membersupported rotatably on the upper end of said adapter member with theconcaved side thereof facing upwardly, an integral depending spindle onsaid platform joumaled in the bore of said adapter member, and a postprojecting upwardly from said platform arranged to extend into a bore ofa reelarranged to be supported on said platform and rotatable therewith.

2. In combination, a spare vehicle wheel having a body portion and a rimon said body portion, a tire on said rim, means in said body portiondefining a central opening which normally receives a wheel hub, saidbody portion having a plurality of apertures around said central openingwhich normally receive lug bolts of the wheel, and adapter memberreceived in said central opening and having upper and lower ends and acentral bore, an outwardly projecting lateral flange on said adaptermember disposed intermediate the upper and lower ends of the latter andbeing engageable on said body portion to support said adapter member onsaid body portion with a portion of said adapter member disposed in thecentral opening of the wheel, said flange extending laterally beyondsaid plurality of apertures, means in said flange defining a pluralitywardly, an integral depending spindle on said platform journaled in thebore of said adapter member, and a post projecting upwardly from saidplatform arranged to extend into a bore of a reel arranged to besupported on said platform and rotatable therewith.

t i w m 1

1. In combination, a spare vehicle wheel having a body portion and a rimon said body portion, a tire on said rim, said body portion having aplurality of apertures which normally receive lug bolts of the wheel, anadapter member having upper and lower ends and also having a centralbore, said adapter member having apertures located selectively foralignment with the apertures in said body portion, bolt means engageablein the apertures of said body portion and said adapter member to securesaid adapter member to said body portion, a dish-shaped platform membersupported rotatably on the upper end of Said adapter member with theconcaved side thereof facing upwardly, an integral depending spindle onsaid platform journaled in the bore of said adapter member, and a postprojecting upwardly from said platform arranged to extend into a bore ofa reel arranged to be supported on said platform and rotatabletherewith.
 2. In combination, a spare vehicle wheel having a bodyportion and a rim on said body portion, a tire on said rim, means insaid body portion defining a central opening which normally receives awheel hub, said body portion having a plurality of apertures around saidcentral opening which normally receive lug bolts of the wheel, anadapter member received in said central opening and having upper andlower ends and a central bore, an outwardly projecting lateral flange onsaid adapter member disposed intermediate the upper and lower ends ofthe latter and being engageable on said body portion to support saidadapter member on said body portion with a portion of said adaptermember disposed in the central opening of the wheel, said flangeextending laterally beyond said plurality of apertures, means in saidflange defining a plurality of apertures located selectively foralignment with the said apertures in the body portion, bolt meansengageable in the apertures of said body portion and said flange toconnect said adapter member securely to said body portion, a dish-shapedplatform member supported rotatably on the upper end of said adaptermember with the concaved side thereof facing upwardly, an integraldepending spindle on said platform journaled in the bore of said adaptermember, and a post projecting upwardly from said platform arranged toextend into a bore of a reel arranged to be supported on said platformand rotatable therewith.